In this verse Yahweh draws his conclusion, addressing the gods of the nations directly. He emphasizes they are worthless. He begins with the attention-getting word Behold to make his point.

You are nothing, and your work is nought is literally “you [are] from nothing, and your work [is] from nothing.” The gods don’t exist, so they cannot do anything. New International Version expresses the Hebrew preposition for “from” as “less than” by rendering these two clauses as “you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless” (similarly Bible en français courant), which is a good model. The Hebrew term rendered nothing is the keyword ʾayin; see the comments on verse 11. The Hebrew noun work comes from the same root as the verb rendered “performed” in verse 4. It may be rendered “actions,” “achievements,” or “deeds.” Good News Translation combines both clauses by saying “You and all you do are nothing.”

An abomination is he who chooses you: The Hebrew noun translated abomination is a technical term for something that is so offensive that God rejects it entirely. This word is used mainly in the context of worshiping other gods (see the comments on 1.13). Here the people who worship any of the gods are an abomination to God. He totally rejects them. Chooses may be rendered “chooses to worship/follow.”

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• Look, you don’t even exist,
so you cannot do anything!
Anyone who chooses to worship you I totally reject.

• Look, you are nothing [or, totally worthless],
you can’t do anything!
I detest anyone who chooses to worship you.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .